''Lasiophanes'' is a small
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
ant with six described species
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
Patagonia (
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
and
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
). The genus is related to ''
Lasius'' of the
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...
and ''
Melophorus'' of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
.
Little is known about these species and the
taxonomy
Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification.
A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
of ''Lasiophanes'' is poorly understood.
Species
*''
Lasiophanes atriventris''
(Smith, 1858)
*''
Lasiophanes hoffmanni''
(Forel, 1903)
*''
Lasiophanes perplexus''
(Santschi, 1920)
*''
Lasiophanes picinus''
(Roger, 1863)
*''
Lasiophanes strenua''
(Haliday, 1836)
*''
Lasiophanes valdiviensis''
(Forel, 1904)
Habitat and distribution
''L. atriventris'' has arboreal habits, living and nesting on trees. On the other hand, ''L. picinus'' and ''L. valdiviensis'' are terrestrial species and have almost the same geographical distribution. The species have been found at
Neuquén,
Río Negro,
Chubut Chubut may refer to:
* Chubut Province, Argentina
* Chubut River in the Chubut Province
* Chubut steamer duck
The Chubut steamer duck or white-headed flightless steamer duck (''Tachyeres leucocephalus'') is a flightless duck endemic to Argenti ...
and
Santa Cruz provinces but only ''L. picinus'' reaches the southern tip of
Patagonia at
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla G ...
. Despite the similarity in their geographical ranges, patterns of habitat use are thought to be different. ''L. picinus'' lives in humid areas of western Patagonia but it can penetrate more arid areas following the vegetation that grows along the rivers or where subterranean water makes the soil more humid. ''L. valdiviensis'' in turn, lives in more arid areas in the eastern part of the genus distribution. However, within the arid areas ''L. valdiviensis'' is thought to prefer sites with relatively humid soils.
References
*
External links
*
Formicinae
Ant genera
Hymenoptera of South America
{{formicinae-stub